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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26641726">and somehow, you've become my everything</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/'>Anonymous</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>7Dream are Best Friends, Angst and Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Baking, Baking for Comfort, But! Things Get Better, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, Gen, M/M, Mark gets disowned by his family, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Sad Event, Yearning Hours: Open</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 08:56:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,443</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26641726</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>you're my missing puzzle piece.</p><p>~</p><p>"I've never baked a cake before."  He manages in between laughs. Everyone looks at him incredulously as if asking, never? And Mark shakes his head in reply as he tries to stop laughing.</p><p>~</p><p>Or, the one where Mark learns that baking is not a cake-walk, among other things.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>+1 (Mentioned/Hinted), Huang Ren Jun/Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno/Mark Lee/Na Jaemin, Huang Ren Jun/Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>PRODEBUTER FEST - ROUND 01</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>and somehow, you've become my everything</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>🚩 cw // parents being mean. tw // homophobia<br/>🚩 please note that ot7's relationship is platonic. and chenji form no part of the polyam couple.<br/>🍰 i present to u nothing but fluff save for one sad scene in the beginning (for context), which you might wanna skip completely/or be careful about while reading.<br/>🍰 my endless gratitude to m and isis for the moral support, to ti and kaia for the help with the baking scene logistics, and to june for betaing this, reading thru my incomprehensible bullshit, and listening to my bitchass whining day in and day out. ily guys. &lt;3<br/>🍰 i hope you enjoy reading this! &lt;3</p><p>🍮thank you to pdf mod for this opportunity! &lt;333<br/>🍮 written for prompt #pdf013: Mark is going through a sad event that is weighing him down/making him depressed. Person A and B(or more) decide to raid his place and force him to bake something with them to help get his mind off things.<br/>🍮 my dear prompter, if you're here, i hope you enjoy reading this fic. though i am well aware that i've taken <em>some</em> liberties, i still hope you do not mind them too much. i hope that this is the "hurt/comfort, fluffiest fic ever" that you wanted. ❤</p><p>❗i know that they're called souffle cheesecakes but jiggly sounds cuter imo 😔✊✊</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Maybe it starts like this.</p><p>Mark is twenty-three years old and in his final year at university when he gets disowned.</p><p>That is not, however, how it all begins. </p><p> </p><p>♡</p><p> </p><p>“We'd thought we’d taught you better than this, Mark.” Mark’s father is wearing an expression that clearly displays his disappointment and disgust with his son.  It makes Mark's heart sink. It makes him want to run and hide so that he can never be seen again. “Wasn’t this supposed to be just a phase? After <em> all </em> we did for you? After all the <em> money </em> we spent on you— the <em> education— </em> the privileged <em> life </em> we gave you— <em> this </em> is how you choose to repay us?”</p><p>Almost as if having an out-of-body experience, Mark watches himself stand immobilised in shock and fear, head bowed down and fists clenched in dread, his fingernails digging into the skin of his palms hard enough to leave lasting dents. </p><p>His father doesn’t have to raise his voice an octave over the normal to make Mark want to purge his insides out with bleach. With how deafening the silence in the room is, his father may as well be screaming.</p><p>Mark inhales a shaky breath and keeps quiet. </p><p>“Where did we go wrong?” His mother’s loving, warm voice that he's so used to being addressed by, is so sad now. So cold, and disillusioned. “We did everything for you and your older brother. We gave you the things we didn’t give him because we couldn’t afford to. We put you first and never asked for anything in return. And you repay us by telling us that you love a boy? That you’ll never give us the family we wanted you to?” </p><p>Every word she utters wounds Mark one stab by one.</p><p>He does not look up. Keeps his eyes trained on the ground. His eyes burn with tears of hurt and shame, but he refuses to cry. He won't cry now. Not in front of them.</p><p>Maybe he should’ve known better. Should’ve known that his family wouldn’t appreciate his falling in love with a boy, much less mentioning it on Chuseok, just after brunch and when everyone is happy (with the obvious exception of him, who could barely eat because of how nervous he was). He gulps through the painful lump in his throat. His stomach claws at him in a mix of anxiety and hunger.</p><p>So clearly he'd hoped for too much from his parents, hadn’t he? Don't… Don't parents promise to always love us, no matter what? <em> Out of all our blessings, you're our favourite. </em> Where does that go, the moment you do something that goes against their wishes and belief system?</p><p>Why is it that while growing up, parents are the ones always encouraging us to do our best, and be our own people, to reach the sky and touch the stars; and yet, they're also the first ones to turn their backs on us the very second that we do something which does not go their way?</p><p>What is the use for meaningless words, then?</p><p>He had hoped his brother would be more understanding, but can he dare to do so anymore? Knowing that he is in for nothing but disappointment, he still risks a glance at his older brother – the image of him, only older, and more mature (or so Mark desperately hopes for, barely hanging on to the last shreds of positivity that he can think of).</p><p>He is not surprised — disappointed sure, but not surprised at all — when he sees his brother’s eyes directing an icy glare right through him. So that’s how it is, huh. He clenches his fists hard enough to leave dents in his skin from his nails, bites down on his tongue so he doesn't shed a tear in front of these strangers.</p><p>They're not your family, Mark. This is not what family does to someone they love.</p><p>“Take your things,” His father’s voice scrapes at his skin in the worst way, jolting him out of the comfort that he's trying to look for inside his head. “I want you out before sunset.” Nails screeching on a chalkboard.</p><p>Mark nods, then takes a step back and turns around – the action mechanical and his body on autopilot. He goes to his room and takes his clothes, comics, and the books he loves, then texts Jaemin to let him know of how it went. Jaemin calls him, worried out of his mind and asks if he should come down and get him, but Mark refuses the offer. He tells him to enjoy his time with his family and friends; tells him that he will come back in two days regardless of whatever happens today.</p><p>He calls Donghyuck and informs him of the clusterfuck that has gone down and Donghyuck immediately offers Mark to come live in his house, no questions asked. Mark thanks him, shakily, the emotions just beginning to register into his consciousness, and through stuttered breathing, asks the younger to help him carry his things to his house next door. </p><p>Donghyuck arrives with Jeno half an hour later, just to vex Mark’s family, and the look on their faces as the three of them carry the things out might make Mark smile a little during some spiteful moment in life.</p><p>He's not very sure of how the next couple of hours pass. He has no strength left in him to move or to speak, so he lays in Hyuck’s bed while Hyuck and Jeno cuddle him. They talk to him about good things, about how much they love him, and how it’s okay even if he doesn’t have his family anymore because he will always have them.</p><p>And Mark lets the tears flow.</p><p>It hurts so much, and at this point he feels like he has nothing left in him to even sob out loud. So he just lies nestled between Hyuck and Jeno — snug, warm, and loved. </p><p>He cries his eyes out. He cries about how he ended up disappointing his family anyway, no matter how hard he tried not to, just because of who he loves. He cries about the world being so unfair to people who do not comply with its norms. He cries for what happened today. He cries for a family lost.</p><p>Donghyuck and Jeno soothe him — at least, they try as much as they think they can — and it works, but only so much. A while later Mark's stomach gurgles, begging for food, and two pairs of eyes widen. Donghyuck brings him some leftover japchae and bulgogi, and Jeno helps Mark sit up in bed. </p><p>They move him slowly and in the end, it's not very difficult to do it because no matter how sad the boy is, he cooperates with them easily. Once Mark is sitting up comfortably, Jeno hugs him from behind, holds him up, and Donghyuck tries to spoon-feed him. </p><p>Mark is still sniffling and hiccupping every other moment, and it’s not very easy for Donghyuck to feed their crying best friend, so he keeps the food away on the side table. Then he shuffles closer to his boys on the bed and cups Mark’s tear-stained face.</p><p>“Mark… Hey…” Donghyuck calls out to the crying boy in Jeno’s arms. His voice is gentle, and his hands are cautious and imploring. "Hyungie." </p><p>Mark looks at him, eyes rimmed red and full of tears. Donghyuck wipes the tears off the elder’s face, but more keep following. The devastated boy keeps hiccupping out tiny sobs, and Donghyuck’s heart hurts.</p><p>So does Jeno’s, because this is one of his best friends since they were ten and stupid. When they’d thought that pranking Mark with a toast full of wasabi saying it was avocado toast and daring him to eat the thing in ten seconds was the best idea ever. (It wasn’t. Mark won, of course he did — their absolutely fully capable little Markie — but he also cried for hours and crapped fire for three days. It wasn’t.) Jeno shakes the memory off to focus on the present, and perches his chin on Mark’s shoulder.</p><p>“You have to eat, baby.” Donghyuck pleads, and his words come out in a soft murmur, gentle, and careful. Jeno loves them both. “I cannot even begin to understand how much this must hurt, but falling sick is never a solution for anything.” Mark looks Donghyuck dead in the eyes and hiccups out another dry sob, a sound that shudders through Jeno’s body as well because of how tightly he has his arms wrapped around the elder.</p><p>Donghyuck’s eyes shake, shiny with sadness and frustration. Jeno smiles at his boyfriend where Hyuck can see him, then nuzzles Mark’s cheek with his own to try and placate the crying boy.</p><p>“Mark hyung… Love of my life number two…” He coos at the elder, sounding pitifully heartbroken himself. He’s not sure of how much it works. “...we wouldn’t ask you to do anything that’d be bad for you. Please eat.” He presses a kiss to the top of Mark’s ear. </p><p>Some moments pass in silence, before Mark agrees. Very, very reluctantly. </p><p>“Mm.” He hums his assent, a hushed, lovely sound, making both Jeno and Donghyuck share a look and then smile in gratitude.</p><p>Donghyuck grabs the food and brings it back on the bed, and Mark opens his mouth to eat when asked to. Jeno's heart melts inside with love, love, love, and he promises himself that no matter what happens, he will try to protect his boys from anything bad in the world, forever. He never wants to see them hurt like this, again.</p><p>Feeding him is a slow process, but they get it done eventually. Mark refuses to leave the bed so Jeno lifts him up in his arms, much like a bride, and takes him to the adjoining bathroom. </p><p>"Wash your face, pee, and we'll have some comfy clothes ready for you outside." He says to Mark after he puts him back down on the ground gently, cupping the side of his neck with a warm hand. Then he takes a step back to leave the boy to do his business. "Call for me when you're done here, okay?"</p><p>He watches Mark, his wonderful hyung, nod miserably and pauses on his way. Jeno says nothing (what can he say in this situation?), only opts to press his lips to the elder's hair before he walks out.</p><p>Some long minutes later, when Mark waddles out of the bathroom and back into Hyuck's bedroom, both of his best friends are waiting for him with a change of clothes. Mark discards his jeans and shirt and slips into Hyuck's spare T-shirt and a pair of shorts. His eyes look less swollen now than they were before he went to the bathroom, his face looks fresher, and his friends both sigh under their breath.</p><p>Hyuck opens his arms and his lips curve into Mark's favourite beam, which makes his heart sigh in relief. He doesn't have any tears left in him to cry — at least not any more for tonight — so he goes into Hyuck's arms. The action comes to him as easily as breathing.</p><p>Hyuck holds him close to himself and after sitting for a minute like that (in that frankly awkward position that's no good for Mark's back, he bets), he manoeuvres them into lying down with the utmost care. Jeno joins them and pulls the covers over the three of them and wraps his arms around Mark and Hyuck's waists.</p><p>"I'm sorry for ruining your holiday." Mark whispers seconds after Hyuck dims the lights, as if waiting for the moment when they can't see his face. His head is tucked under Hyuck's chin so they can't see his face anyway, and his voice comes out as a mumble that takes a while for Jeno and Hyuck to understand. “Feels like all I do is ruin good shit no matter how much I try not to, anyway.”</p><p>Hyuck looks at Jeno with worry, who returns the gaze.</p><p>"Mark hyung." He exhales, pained, and heartbroken for his best friend. Hyuck hears it clear as day because he feels the same way. "You didn't ruin anything, please don't down yourself out like this." It hurts to hear it when a loved one blames themselves for others' shortcomings. Jeno’s heart feels like it’s been put through the wringer to hear Mark putting himself down like that because of something awful that his good-for-nothing family put him through.</p><p>“Are you kidding me, Markles?” Hyuck scoffs but not with malice, and Jeno smiles in relief when he realises that Hyuck’s getting into his Zone now. His Zone where he knows Mark best. Jeno knows that while Mark may be the most responsive to gentle affection and love whispered onto his skin, the elder listens best to tough love.</p><p>Hyuck grabs Mark’s shoulder with his free hand — though not remotely hard enough to hurt — which Jeno notices and feels his heart warm with awe. Hyuck is so, so careful with the people who are important to him, so tender despite how agitated he may feel for whatever reason.</p><p>He pushes Mark away from him the least bit, just so he can face the eldest even though the room is dark, but the point still stands, and the point here is that Mark could never ruin anything. Said boy makes a sad noise in the back of his throat and tries to snuggle deeper into the crook of Hyuck’s neck but the younger doesn’t relent his hold on him.</p><p>He cups Mark’s cheek gently, and Jeno wraps his arms around the two of them the slightest bit tighter. When Hyuckie speaks, his voice is firm, and yet so, so caring, Jeno feels his heart beat steady. He loves him. He loves his Hyuckie, so much. He really is the love of his life, number one, Jeno thinks fondly.</p><p>“Markles. Mark hyung. Don’t you say any self-deprecating shit anymore. Don’t you do my best friend dirty like that.” His voice is chastising, and ever so doting. The sound feels like honey flowing into warm water, it’s earnest, it’s a little heated, but it’s sweet all the same. “You did nothing wrong, and yeah, it sucks that your former-family is a bunch of assholes, but no one — and I mean, no one — is worth you talking shit about yourself!”</p><p>Jeno doesn’t know when he started petting Mark’s head, but he happens to be doing so, and feels more than sees it when Mark nods soundlessly. “Understood?” Hyuckie asks once, tone softening because let him be honest, who can stay mad at Mark for too long, more so for something that isn’t even his fault in the first place?</p><p>The starry-eyed boy murmurs again, something that sounds like a hybrid between a yes and an I understand, and Jeno knows that though Hyuckie does not believe it in the slightest, he still respects his best friend’s dignity and hums like he does, indeed. He pulls Mark close to him, allowing him to bury his head under his chin again, pressing a kiss to the top of his hair when the eldest finally stops squirming.</p><p>None of them talk a lot after that. Jeno goes back to holding Mark and Hyuck, and this time Hyuck wraps his arm over Mark’s waist to hold Jeno closer to him, too. It’s… a little stifling, but they’ve squeezed in together at worse places than Donghyuck’s twin bed which is, to be fair, Very Comfortable. </p><p>At least, much more than a lot of the places that all three of them have fallen asleep squashed together in.</p><p>(Jeno reminisces, unwittingly, of that one time at one of the only empty benches at the far back of Professor Shim’s class. It’s a fond and annoying memory all the same. He almost shudders when he feels a ghost of the accompanying weeks-long, stubborn crick in his neck, and the God awful back pain.)</p><p>He watches the two loves of his life slip into slumber slowly, and when he finally falls asleep that night, he dreams of a home where he can finally keep them safe. There’s laughter in the kitchen, cuddling and watching movies on the couch, dancing late at night bathed in the light from the fridge, there’s something that feels a lot like love.</p><p>He sleeps soundly for the first time in what feels like a very long time.</p><p>Over the next two days, Mark’s smile begins to come back a little bit. This Lee family is just as much his own as the one that birthed him, but he will always appreciate this one more. The ones who loved him regardless of who he fell in love with, who gave him shelter when his own left him behind.</p><p>Later that week, after the three of them finally go back to the university, Mark takes a breath and begins the new part of his life, where he must continue without the ones bound to him by blood. When he sees Jaemin on the weekend, once the younger finally comes back from his Chuseok trip back home, he wraps his arms around him and cries. </p><p>Life will get better.</p><p> </p><p>♡</p><p> </p><p>Mark wakes up in tears that morning.</p><p>He is graduating today, and he would be ecstatic about it if he didn’t keep on having nightmares about what went down last year. It is still hard to think about his family and how they disowned him just because he fell in love with a boy (a relationship that didn’t even see the light of the day in the end), but his subconscious is having a hard time letting go of that if the nightmares are anything to go by.</p><p>His roommate is there, Jaemin — his best friend by proximity, who more often than not wakes him by teasingly calling him Oppa, causing Mark to open his eyes in the fear — at least once, every week — of having a girl in their all-boys dorm, in their room where the gayest of the gay reside.</p><p>"Hyung…" begins Jaemin cautiously. He's hovering about his bed on the other side of the room, staring at Mark just a little bit awkwardly. "You alright?"</p><p>His voice betrays his emotions, and his worry for Mark shows, sweet and heart-warming. Mark shuts his eyes and nods quickly, and though Jaemin does not look convinced even for a second, he respects Mark's wish to not pursue the topic any further and goes back to making his bed.</p><p>"Do you need to use the toilet?" asks Mark just to make sure, and Jaemin shakes his head with a bright smile. Mark manages to smile back at him before he leaves to freshen up. He knows Jaemin wouldn’t mind him being out of it, because the younger knows him so, so well. Mark does not need to tell him that he had another nightmare for him to figure out what’s wrong.</p><p>A lot of face splashing later, he finishes his routine and takes a quick, thorough shower to begin getting ready for the day. Time moves too fast for Mark who feels sluggish on his feet, dragging himself through dressing up in formal clothes, and his graduation robes on top. </p><p>As usual, Jaemin notices his unease, so he has all of his favourite snacks lined up on the elder's table by the time Mark is getting ready to go to the gymnasium. Mark smiles softly. Jaemin returns it tenfold, bright and charming.</p><p>"Cheer up, buttercup!" Jaemin laughs before taking a nice photo of him, and then of the two of them, making cute and funny faces at the camera. (Because, memories. Mark hyung. What if we never see each other after you graduate? Mark rolls eyes and musses up the younger’s hair in the next photo.)</p><p>Mark picks up some candy and a packet of juice and shoves them into the pockets in his jacket hidden by his robes when he is about to leave, but Jaemin stops him by his wrist. Mark turns around in confusion, ready to ask Jaemin what it is, but before he can say anything Jaemin is setting his graduation cap on his head.</p><p>The younger makes a funny face before he pulls Mark in for a hug, and smacks a kiss on to his cheek. Mark snickers, rubs his back with warm hands, and ruffles his hair affectionately. A deep breath into the crook of his neck helps soothe Mark’s nerves because Jaemin always smells like fabric softener and baby powder.</p><p>Mark nuzzles closer into Jaemin’s shoulder. The younger laughs and presses a kiss to the side of his head.</p><p>“Damn, hyung.” He murmurs, gently rocking them side to side. “What would you do without me?”</p><p>Mark wants to say a lot of things, but he saves them for later.</p><p>After Jaemin lets him out of his arms, Mark just stares at him, itching to make a bad joke. He backs away slowly, opens the door without turning his back at Jaemin, maintaining constant eye contact with his roommate, and it's Jaemin's turn to shoot him a curious look.</p><p>"I'd have no snacks, <em>no cap.</em>" Mark smirks and takes off running.</p><p>"Ew, I hope you trip!" he hears Jaemin holler behind him.</p><p>He smiles a little bit. It’s easier now.</p><p>The ceremony is a blur. All Mark remembers is getting to the gymnasium, seeing Jaemin and the rest of his friends in the crowd, and then getting the degree on the podium. The moment the ceremony finishes, Mark is tackled by his six favourite boys. </p><p>He is showered with congratulations and We're so proud of yous! by his friends, his classmates come up to him to take photos together, and standing at one corner of the gymnasium for what quite possibly might be their last time ever there makes Mark's chest feel like caving in. It's an emotion he cannot put his finger on, much less try to explain.</p><p>Ever since his bachelor's degree, this University's the only place that he knows besides home.</p><p>And now, five years later, to have to leave this place behind and step into the bigger world where he has no idea of what to do with himself, much less of how to survive, to make a living; he’s scared, alright. But, isn’t that how it is with most of them? He guesses he’ll figure something out; he will have to. He doesn’t have his parents and brother to fall back upon anymore, and maybe that makes it a little worse for someone as family oriented as him, but it is what it is.</p><p>Besides, he has a family of seven now. He doesn’t know for how long though, now that he’s graduating, but it was great while it lasted. It’s been a good run. It’s been a dream run. Mark really thinks it couldn’t get better than this. He’ll just… He supposes that he’ll just have to thank his stars for the good years that he got to spend with these boys, and keep those years fond in his heart.</p><p>He realises that he has a lot of thinking to do — about what he’s going to do with his career after this, where he’s going to live, what he’s going to do with his life in general — as all of them figure their way out of the gymnasium and the building into the parking lot where the car Jeno and Hyuck own is. </p><p>It’s stressing, and as much as he’d rather not think about it, he can’t just stop because those are very valid concerns if you ask him.</p><p>Soon enough, their party of seven heads over to Hyuck and Jeno’s apartment. The ride is spent with Mark trying to avoid the five people staring holes into his skull from where they're all squished in the backseat, with Jeno in Hyuck's lap and Renjun across Chenle and Jisung’s.</p><p>Jaemin's phone keeps buzzing every minute and even though Jaemin doesn’t look at it in favour of driving them all safely to their friends’ apartment in one piece thank you very much; Mark is pretty sure it's something between these six that they're not telling him — probably a congratulatory surprise — and his heart warms and hurts at the same time.</p><p>He feels so happy that these people are here for him, his friends, this tiny family he found at university, but at the same time, it's a bit of a sad affair because a young Mark had always dreamed of having his parents and proud older brother in the stands, along with his friends.</p><p>
  <em> This is for the best. I’d rather not have them near me ever again. </em>
</p><p>When they reach the apartment, the crowd of seven disperses all around the space. Jeno drags Mark away and hands him some loungewear before gently nudging him in the direction of the bathroom, a kiss tucked into the back of his neck. </p><p>Mark snorts as he gets the hint, and walks inside shaking his head fondly, laughing quietly to himself.</p><p>Jeno has always been so open with his heart, hasn’t he? The skin where his lips were pressed to feels warm.</p><p>He takes a long shower just because. The day has been long and hot, sweaty because of all the people inside the gymnasium and frankly, this feels like the best cold shower that he has ever stood under. The cold spray helps him clear his muddled thoughts, and he thinks.</p><p>He thinks of his Jeno's loving eyes and tender hands. He thinks of his Hyuckie's starry gaze and his playful kisses. He thinks of his Nana's beautiful beaming smile and how safe it feels to be in his arms. He thinks of his Injunnie's soothing presence and soft fingers intertwined with his at all times.</p><p>When he walks out of the bathroom while drying his hair with a towel, he finds the six other people in the apartment standing in a suspicious line in front of the kitchen counter — with identical stupid smiles on their face.</p><p>Mark stares at them incredulously, paused in his steps, a confused grin slowly taking over his mouth.</p><p>"Uh… guys?" he asks as a chuckle bubbles in his throat. He lets the towel fall back onto his shoulder, and his eyes go over all six faces one by one, then back again. He knows that some sort of congratulations are in order, but what he doesn’t know is in what form it will come.</p><p>Is it cake? He wonders, for only a brief moment because in the next, the six guys in front of him are chorusing out a loud and boisterous Happy Graduation Mark Lee! </p><p>Mark laughs happily, remnants of pain all forgotten. </p><p>"Thank you." He snickers, towelling his hair again to have something to do with his boiled spaghetti hands, waiting for the guys to move so he can see what the celebratory food is. But nobody moves, and all of them look at each other in a way that is both awkward and mischievous, and makes Mark suspicious that something is not right.</p><p>"Guys?" He asks, looking at all of them one by one and back the same way. "…is everything alright?"</p><p>Chenle breaks first, and Mark sees the moment he does. Jisung smiles at his best friend’s cute laugh, very, very, whipped. Hyuck starts snickering while Jaemin, Renjun, and Jeno share an embarrassed look between themselves.</p><p>"So, see..." snickers Hyuck, "We <em> tried </em> baking you a cake. We really did. But because some people forgot that there was a cake in the oven, your congratulatory cake is kinda in the trash right now." He says, directing a very teasing glare at all three of his boyfriends.</p><p>And so there it is — lo and behold! — a counter full of cake ingredients. </p><p>Something about the situation makes Mark laugh. There's too many <em> somethings </em> for him to count, so he says the first thing that comes to his mind.</p><p>"I've never baked a cake before."  He manages in between laughs. Everyone looks at him incredulously as if asking, never? And Mark shakes his head in reply as he tries to stop laughing. The giggles stop because a blush takes over his face when he meets eyes with Renjun.</p><p>Renjun, whose gaze on him is far too smitten to be just platonic, and it makes Mark’s heart flutter.</p><p>"There's always a first time for everything." says Chenle happily — thankfully completely oblivious to the tension between two of their eldest — clapping his hands cutely, and Mark nods in excitement, tearing his eyes away from Renjun’s even though he’d rather not.</p><p>"Let's bake my first cake, then!" He cheers, a sentiment that is echoed by the others, and Mark has a feeling that it's going to be a good day.</p><p> ♡</p><p>Mark learns that baking is <em> not </em> a cake-walk.</p><p>Watching all the MasterChef episodes, all the baking ASMR Tutorials on YouTube, watching his parents bake them cakes for his and his brother’s birthdays… None of it had ever really prepared him for the real thing. Just looking at all of the ingredients and measuring cups lined up on the table makes his head spin.</p><p>“So… What are we doing here exactly?” He asks no one in particular and in reply gets a variety of answers chorused around him. </p><p>He hears things like chocolate cake with icing, brownies, cookies, cheesecakes, and the six boys around him sound so much like the seagulls from Finding Nemo that Mark bursts out laughing. And he laughs so hard he ends up wheezing.</p><p>When he stops and looks at his friends, he finds six pairs of eyes looking at him curiously to whom he responds with a dismissive shake of his head, which in turn is met with eyes narrowed in mischievous suspicion and Mark sticks his tongue out in reply.</p><p>"So… Have we decided?" He asks, trying to sound casual and a bit serious — except, a little chortle betrays his playfulness.</p><p>Jaemin and Renjun, the baker extraordinaires step forward as if on cue — unconsciously and very much synchronised — and Mark notices fondly how he's not the only one who loves to see it happen. It's all of them.</p><p>"I was thinking we could do a cheesecake..." says Renjun, fiddling with the things laid out on the table. Jaemin stares at the table with his hands folded at his chest, and his weight cocked on one hip. "Nana, what do you say?"</p><p>"Mm… Mark hyung loves brownies, so brownies for sure. And banana muffins." Jaemin nods to himself in reassurance. "Cheesecake is a hell yes! But what kind are we going for and in what flavour? Are we making a normal cheesecake, a jiggly one, or a no-bake one?"</p><p>"A no-bake cheesecake sounds interesting?" Chenle voices with a child-like curiosity in his voice that Mark loves to hear. Jisung looks at his best friend and beams at him, pinching his cheek in his own, special way of displaying affection. Chenle flashes him his cutest smile in return, and Mark turns his gaze away from the two in their little bubble.</p><p>"But if we make a no-bake cheesecake then doesn't it defeat the purpose a bit, especially now that we know that this is Mark hyung's first time ever to be baking? Besides, if we are going to do a no-bake cheesecake then we're probably gonna need Graham Crackers and I don't think we've bought those." Renjun voices his reservations and Jaemin nods slowly as he processes the information. The four others standing next to them stare them down, though not without their fair share of helpless skepticism. </p><p>"Hyung, what do you want to bake?" Jisung asks in his soft, baby voice, and following his words, all heads turn into Mark's direction.</p><p>Mark gives it a thought.</p><p>"Well… I mean, Nana's right, I love brownies and banana muffins, so those. And can we bake a jiggly cheesecake, please?" He asks, bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement, flashing everyone his puppy eyes to try and convince them to bake the jiggly cheesecake as Jaemin had called it.</p><p>His smile gets wider and morphs into a full-blown grin as he notices everyone giving in — all of them being very, very obvious with their soft spot for Mark. Inevitably, it all comes down to the self-proclaimed bakers of their friend group and what their final opinion is.</p><p>Renjun and Jaemin share a final tense look between themselves — the assholes, this is not MasterChef, although Mark does feel like a contestant waiting on the judges for them to announce his fate — before their faux-seriousness crumbles and they dissolve into a fit of laughter.</p><p>"Okay, so, the jiggly cheesecake is a go!" Renjun announces for the seven of them in the room to hear. Mark whoops with joy while Jeno smiles at the master bakers and Hyuck facepalms in fond, fond exasperation.</p><p>Chenle and Jisung look at each other and everyone else as if they're waiting for commands to follow, or the timer to start so that they can run to the pantry — <em>You need to stop watching so much MasterChef, Mark,</em> he sighs as he makes another comparison to the show — and Jeno is the one who comes up with a plan to direct their enthusiasm in a direction that is not headed towards disaster.</p><p>"Before anyone dives at the table to grab the ingredients—" He laughs, eyes smiling, "Please do not. The landlord will beat my ass, sue Duckie and I, and <em> then </em> throw us out. How about we split up into groups and take things one by one?"</p><p>He gets appreciative responses murmured from all sides.</p><p>"How do you say we go about it?" He asks no one in particular when nobody immediately teams up with their person of choice — which Mark thinks is funny, because when it comes to University, and their Professors asking them to choose partners, everyone knows whom they want to immediately grab on to.</p><p>But when it comes to working the kitchen — more so, the oven — no one's too sure of what to do anymore.</p><p>Noticing everyone's contemplative silence — <em> the people in this room think, too? </em> That's quite the surprising news to Mark — Hyuck scoffs.</p><p>"Damn. You guys are genuinely speechless." He smirks, playful, though it immediately gives way to a pretty smile. "If I knew that all it takes to shut you guys up is ask you to bake, I would've done that a long time ago." </p><p>Jisung snickers. "That's rich coming from you, hyung."</p><p>Hyuck gasps, half smiling-half scandalised and rushes to put the youngest in a chokehold while the rest of them laugh, and Chenle adds insult to Jisung's injury.</p><p>"Serves you right, pot calling the kettle black."</p><p>Jisung shrieks when Hyuck tickles him before letting him go, then rubs his neck sheepishly. Hyuck on the other hand approaches Chenle menacingly and gets all up in his face, which makes the younger almost book it out of the kitchen, but he doesn't only because Hyuck ruffles his hair and boops his nose cutely before stepping away.</p><p>"Anyway, before I was distracted by thoughts of murder, I was gonna say that how about we do this: The baker extraordinaires split up, Mark hyung goes with Injunnie, Nono goes with Nana, and I take care of these brats. How does that sound?" Hyuck asks calmly, and Mark sees the logic behind his idea. He smiles and nods in response and Hyuck blows him a kiss when he notices it.</p><p>There's a chorus of agreements following which they team up according to plan, and the final decision is that they will be making brownies, banana muffins, and a <em> jiggly </em> cheesecake. </p><p>Renjun bounces up and stands in front of Mark, eyes twinkling playfully as he holds out an apron for Mark to wear. His own apron is hanging loosely at his neck, a bit of a haphazard thing, and Mark thinks he looks cute.</p><p>"Here, hyung. I'll put it on for you." says Renjun with a cutesy grin that Mark has a hard time saying no to — <em>not that he wants to say no to him, but you know.</em></p><p>Well, he'd have a hard time saying no to any of them regardless of the added charm, but Renjun is, indeed, very charismatic. If he must be honest, Mark would say Renjun is naturally more graceful than tempting with the exception of every now and then when he decides to bless all of them with the Smooth Huang Renjun, but even as Mark digresses, the point still remains.</p><p>He ducks his head for Renjun to pass the neck strap over his head, and then turns around to let the boy secure the belt-straps around his waist. Renjun love-taps his waist and announces that his apron is all done — <em> secured! </em> — and Mark turns back around to face him.</p><p>"Now do mine?" Renjun asks, and Mark nods in reply, beaming.</p><p>While tying the straps of the waist belt around Renjun's waist, Mark notices how absolutely tiny the boy is and feels his face flush with yearning. He wonders if he's being obvious enough. Wonders what any of them would do, even if they noticed. Wonders how much time they have left to act on whatever feelings they have, anyway.</p><p>He quickly fastens the waist belt of the apron and steps away from Renjun. When the boy turns around and looks at him for another moment too long, a hint of concern in his gaze, Mark shrugs and dismisses it with a small smile.</p><p>And so the kitchen descends into their little bubble of a semi-serious, discounted version of a baking TV show.</p><p>Jaemin takes Jeno with him to prepare the batter for the banana muffins, while Hyuck takes Chenle and Jisung to work on the brownies, which — in everyone's (besides Mark's) opinion — is arguably the easiest thing to bake on the menu. Renjun takes hold of Mark's hand and guides him to their side of the counter where they will be working, and begins by showing Mark the ingredients while telling him about the process of baking a soufflé cheesecake.</p><p>Mark nods at the things he understands and at the things he doesn't, and helps Renjun sort and gather their ingredients close to where they're standing. Hyuck and Jeno's kitchen is a small space, but not so much that it's suffocating. It's cozy, and homely. It may be small as compared to apartments on somewhat of a higher end rent-scale, but Mark is glad that all of them think of it to be the perfect size.</p><p>At the end of the day, they're all broke university students studying and working their asses off at part time jobs, and there's only so much money that you can make while working part time at a small enterprise.</p><p>"So here's what we're gonna do—" Renjun's voice makes him zone back into their corner of Jeno and Hyuck's kitchen counter where Renjun has four eggs in a bowl, and an empty, used bottle of soda in his hand. </p><p>He looks at Renjun to find the boy looking back at him with a confused frown, concern overshadowing his pretty features. Mark shakes his head with a grin that he can only hope looks cute, and wiggles at his eyebrows, glancing back and forth between Renjun's eyes and the bottle that he's holding.</p><p>Renjun does not look very convinced but he obliges anyway, and Mark thanks his stars because no matter how close they may be as friends, all of them respect each other's boundaries and he is very grateful for and appreciative of that little dynamic.</p><p>"Do you know how to separate egg yolks from the whites without making a mess out of the yolks?" Renjun asks after a momentary pause.</p><p>Mark shakes his head in lieu of speaking.</p><p>Renjun grins at him, warm, sweet, and encouraging.</p><p>"So, this can be the first thing you learn!" He cheers and Mark nods quickly, and Renjun shows him the ropes of separating egg yolks from the egg whites. Mark watches him carefully and to his glee Renjun asks him if he'd like to do it for the next four eggs. </p><p>Mark whoops in joy and grabs the offered bottle from Renjun's hand and gets to work. He makes an excited noise at the back of this throat when the yolk gets sucked into the bottle neatly, and he holds his breath as he transfers the yolk into another bowl for mixing.</p><p>He repeats the process three more times and looks at Renjun for validation, which the boy is very happy to give him.</p><p>"You did so well, hyung!" He says with a bright laugh, patting Mark on the back and the elder boy preens at the praise.</p><p>"I didn’t know it would be so easy!” Mark gushes, clapping his hands happily.</p><p>Renjun only smiles before handing Mark two empty bowls to hold, and Mark watches eagerly as the boy measures out butter and cream cheese into them.</p><p>Mark watches the entire process carefully, following along with Renjun as he heats up a pan on medium flame and combines the butter and cream cheese with half a cup of milk.</p><p>He goes enthusiastically when he is offered the whisk to stir the concoction in the pan, and works diligently while Renjun takes the container with the egg-whites and adds five more of those to it. </p><p>Mark wonders what will become of the five extra egg yolks, but he doesn't get to dwell on it too much.</p><p>Once the mixture is smooth, Renjun tells him to turn the stove off and to keep the pan aside to cool its contents down for a bit. Then he takes the bowl with the egg yolks and whisks them until they're smooth. The time it takes for that to happen is surprisingly enough for the other mixture to cool down or so Mark notes, and once the yolks are smoothened to Renjun's satisfaction, the younger boy hands him the whisk once again, and tells him to gently and thoroughly stir while he pours in the cream cheese mixture into it.</p><p>Mark does as he is told and briefly gets distracted by the smell of chocolate coming from the other corner where Hyuck, Chenle, and Jisung are working on their brownies, though he comes back to his senses when Renjun pinches his arm.</p><p>"It's in the movement of the wrist, Mark hyung!" Renjun laughs helplessly as he watches Mark use his entire body to whisk the mixture.</p><p>Mark <em> huh?</em>s with a confused look directed at him and Renjun shakes his head, snickering, then he carefully holds both of Mark's hands and guides him through the process of— well— through the process of whisking a mixture and not aggressively wiggling with your whole body while you're at it.</p><p>Mark wills himself not to blush because Renjun is much handsomer up close, and he has a lot of feelings about him — all of them soft and lovely.</p><p>It works to his surprise, and the mixtures are combined without much damage. After he helps Mark sift, then mix a fourth cup of flour and cornstarch each into the mix until there are no lumps left at all, Renjun hands Mark a lid without explanation and Mark connects the dots, covering the bowl with it and keeping it aside while renjun collects the used ones and keeps them by the sink.</p><p>Mark finds it hard to resist the smell of brownie batter so he finds himself all but flying towards the brownie corner. Chenle welcomes him with a smile as he and Jisung try to remove all the lumps from the batter in the bowl under Hyuck's supervision. Mark raises his eyebrows in a questioning gesture and stands next to Hyuck who pulls him closer with his arm around Mark's shoulder.</p><p>"Can I eat some brownie batter?" He asks, flashing his puppy eyes at his best friend before the other probably even processes his question, and Hyuck smirks at him.</p><p>"Nice. Coochie-eyeing me right off the bat so I can't say no. <em> Very nice. </em> " He teases him and Mark laughs because it's true. That <em> is </em> what he was trying to do. He laughs even louder because he finds it absolutely hilarious when his friends call his puppy eyes, his <em> coochie eyes, </em> because what in the world?</p><p>"Please?" He pouts, blinking at him cheekily, turning his face towards his friend's and grabbing his hand with both of his.</p><p>Hyuck sighs as though he's suffering.</p><p><em> "Fine." </em> He groans and butts his head softly against Mark. "Just the tiniest bit."</p><p>Mark giggles at him and throws his hand away, skipping over to Jisung who holds up a whisk — just<em> how </em> many whisks do these people <em> have? </em> — with some leftover batter dripping back into the bowl.</p><p>Mark scoops some up on the tip of his finger before licking it off, and the moment he focuses his attention on the taste of the batter, he feels a soft touch swipe a cool streak on his cheek. He snaps his eyes open to see Chenle giggling at him and pulls his cheek before going back to Renjun.</p><p>"Brownie batter taste good?" Renjun teases him, grinning when Mark nods in delight.</p><p>"Yup!" He chirps. "What next?"</p><p>"I think you're going to like this," is all Renjun says in reply and Mark smiles, a little perplexed.</p><p>He can only watch in amazement as Renjun brings out the electric hand mixer and gestures towards the bowl where they had stored all of the egg-whites. He starts the mixer and begins beating the egg-whites to show Mark how to do it and Mark watches attentively, all but vibrating out of his skin with excitement when he finally gets his hand on the device. </p><p>Working it himself is a completely different ballpark.</p><p>When he starts the mixer he is not ready for the automation and because of that he almost <em>yeets</em> some splashes of the egg-whites out of the bowl and screeches in shock. All of the boys in the kitchen rush to take a look at him and make sure that he is okay but Mark assures them that he <em> is </em> alright and waves them off, chuckling.</p><p>"I was not ready for the thing to go so hard just like that, dude!" He exclaims and laughs again, and Jaemin laughs from where he and Jeno are almost done with their batter and are about to start baking.</p><p>"You know what?" Renjun offers, and Mark notices that he sounds both affectionate and distressed at the same time. "Let me help you before you hurt yourself. <em> Please. </em>"</p><p>"Okay." Mark agrees, he <em> does </em> need help. "Sounds better than me just making a mess out of it."</p><p>"I'm sorry for being so clumsy." He murmurs so only Renjun can hear.</p><p>Renjun does, but instead of acknowledging it he continues on his way to help Mark blend the egg-whites properly, and comes to stand behind Mark, chest to his back. He snakes his arms around Mark's waist to grab hold of his hands to better direct him, and it would be easier if he wasn't shorter than him but he figures his way around that.</p><p>Standing on his tippy-toes, he perches his chin on Mark's shoulder and leans his body weight slightly onto Mark so that he doesn't sway backwards and inevitably take both of them down towards the floor.</p><p>"Don't apologize, hyung. People aren't born experts at everything. It's all a learning experience." He whispers, and even when Mark can't see his face, he can hear the kindness in his voice as clear as day.</p><p>Then Renjun switches the mixer back on and the two of them get to work, with Renjun directing Mark on using the appliance, and with Mark diligently following the instructions he is being given — which include slowly adding sugar into the fluff.</p><p>It's not really something to blush about and he knows that, but it's still hard to halt the natural response of his body that results from his proximity to Renjun. And so he blushes, hoping that no one would notice but alas, Jaemin does. Mark does not know when or how, and he wouldn't know it really if it wasn't for Jaemin teasingly humming that cheesy and overused piece of romantic background music.</p><p>He tries to focus on the task at hand but he keeps getting distracted. There are <em> a lot of things </em> distracting him. While most of them are because of Renjun — his hands on Mark's, arms around his waist, chin on shoulder, his chest pressed to the elder's back and the soft puffs of air tickling the side of Mark's neck on their way out, it's also Chenle and Jisung murmuring something like <em> 'Aw dude when they realise that they're lowkey married—' '—that'll be the day I swear!' </em> and Jaemin and Hyuck teasing them mercilessly for it.</p><p>Mark chuckles under his breath and diverts all of focus into the task at hand.</p><p>Once the egg-whites are whipped to perfection Renjun steps away from Mark and flashes him a beautiful grin. "You were so good, see?"</p><p>Mark smiles. "Thanks to you."</p><p>Renjun rolls his eyes but his smile never leaves his face.</p><p>"Thanks to <em> you. </em>" He says. "And no, I will not take criticism."</p><p>"Okay, fine." Mark chuckles, accepting the compliment for once and noticing that the joy on Renjun's face visibly increases.</p><p>"C'mon now hyung, let's finish this cake."</p><p>So they get to work again. Mark removes the lid off of the bowl with the batter and obeys Renjun's instruction to use a gentle motion to fold the whipped egg-whites into it. It takes them a little while, and somewhere during that time Mark hears the oven ding. As if his sense of smell comes back to him only then, he smells the mouthwatering scent of banana muffins.</p><p>His stomach makes a hungry sound and it only worsens when he realises that the brownies are done, too, in the same time and batch as the muffins and he feels himself practically salivate just because of how good the kitchen smells because of those.</p><p>When they finally finish folding the egg-whites into the batter little by little, Jaemin places a cake pan near them that has already been lined with parchment paper and Renjun calls him an angel while the others all smile.</p><p>Hyuck shuffles the youngest boys out of the kitchen after making them help him clean up their side of the station and tells them to start something on the TV while he stays back and helps his boyfriends clean and then plate up.</p><p>Renjun places the cake pan on top of a wider baking pan that is lined with paper towels — <em> it's to distribute the heat evenly at the bottom of the pan, </em> he enlightens Mark when the elder asks — and fills the wider pan up to what looks like an inch with hot-water.</p><p>Then the two of them place the tray carefully inside the preheated oven — thanks to Jaemin, of course. Always.<em> What would they even do without him? </em> — and then Mark is escorted out of the kitchen Chenle and Jisung who were probably asked to do so by the other four.</p><p>Mark soon finds himself seated at the sofa and watching the beginning of Deadpool 2, when Hyuck, Jeno, Renjun and Jaemin, come back to the living area with delicious smelling cakes and muffins on trays, accompanied with glasses of water as well as plates and spoons for them eat with.</p><p>They eat while watching the movie and even though Mark has watched this many, many times before, it's still the most fun that he has had as of late. Especially because he's with his favourite people ever.</p><p>Renjun and Jaemin periodically go check up on the cake and close to an hour after putting the batter in the oven, the baker extraordinaires finally bring the highlight of their baking day.</p><p>When Mark bites into the cheesecake he feels happy about the fact that he helped make this. It's very tasty, and has a beautiful texture that just melts on his tongue, and he can't stop smiling because of how happy he is that the cheesecake turned out this well. When his friends take note of that, they coo at him, and Mark laughs gratefully, verbalising it as well while the movie on the screen heads towards its denouement.</p><p>♡</p><p>After Chenle and Jisung head over to their dorms, it leaves the five of the eldest alone in the apartment. The four besides Mark share a look that doesn’t go unnoticed by him, following which Jaemin and Renjun offer to go clean the kitchen. Mark can’t help but feel that Jeno and Hyuck look a little put-off… or rather, they look nervous?</p><p>Mark would be worried about it, but after going through a series of very bad events, his intuition has improved to the point that he’s almost never wrong about situations. And his gut feeling tells him that this is nothing to be worried about.</p><p>He remains seated on the strawberry sofa, munching on one of the brownies that they made a while ago, marvelling at the taste because it was his first time baking after all, and these are so tasty — okay, fine, he wasn't the one who baked the brownies but he was around the process physically so it counts. He pretends to attentively watch something on his phone while sneaking glances at his best friends who happen to be trying to gather their wits in one place before approaching him.</p><p>It should be a little daunting, the way that Jeno and Hyuck head towards him in unison, facial expressions solemn, and their footsteps in sync. Mark smiles because all these years of being together has synced the boys up in a way that they share with no one else.</p><p>It’s kind of beautiful, he believes. Soulmates may be the things of fairy-tales, but knowing each other so well that you begin to unconsciously mirror your partner’s behaviours and quirks is something Mark thinks is very real, and very endearing.</p><p>The two boys kneel and settle down by Mark’s feet, and though it’s a little comical because God they’re so synchronised, Mark does not allow his face to show that. He finishes the brownie and keeps the plate onto Hyuckie’s waiting hands who then calls Jaemin, and the pink-haired boy comes and grabs the thing, then takes it back to the kitchen where Renjun and him are washing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen.</p><p>Mark licks his lips and looks at the boys that he loves the most in this world, sitting in front of him right now, on their knees, looking at him like he is their Sun. He reaches out to hold their hands in his own, and it’s almost as if the simple action breathes life into his boys. Both of them perk up just a bit more, then they finally smile. </p><p>Well, Jeno <em> giggles </em> , and <em> Hyuck </em> smiles, albeit nervously, but they do, and Mark loves it.</p><p>He waits for one of them to say a word, and eventually Hyuck is the one who does. Holding Mark’s hand in both of his own, he scoots closer to the eldest’s legs, while Jeno remains seated where he is. Hyuck breathes in deeply and exhales a sigh, once, then once more, thrice. Jeno gently rubs his back, eyes full of warmth, his form of silent, loving encouragement.</p><p>Mark watches his best friends quietly, patiently.</p><p>“Mark hyung…” Hyuck begins, and Mark smiles because his galaxy gaze is settled on him, unmoving and twinkling with limitless affection. “I’m not going to say any big words because those don’t mean shit to us—not when we’ve known each other for so fucking long that I don’t fucking remember my life before you.” He laughs, shaking his head warm-heartedly.</p><p>“Neither do I.” Jeno smiles, his eyes beaming with him. Mark snickers and rubs the younger’s knuckles with his thumb.</p><p>When he lets his mind wander, memory lane is a fond, fond place, welcoming him with her summertime smile and her open arms, warm in the middle of December. There’s the summer sun and jumping fences. Running after ice-cream trucks. Unicorn pool floats and the strawberry lemonade that Jeno’s mom would make for them. Mark falling victim to pranks more often than not because he’s always been so naïve. A certain avocado-wasabi toast that went down in history. Winters and Christmas shopping. Giving each other the best Christmas gifts that they could make themselves. Snowball fights. Snowman building. Bonfires in the backyard.</p><p>Warming their hands in the crackle of the fire, lying with their limbs spread under the air-conditioning in summer.</p><p>Hyuck’s voice is a warm reminder of coming back to the present.</p><p>“Mark hyung?”</p><p>Mark shakes his head, apologetic.</p><p>“I’m sorry, please go on.” He squeezes both Hyuck and Jeno’s hands that are holding his.</p><p>And now, Donghyuck looks nervous again. He looks at Jeno for reassurance, and what he’s looking for is right there in his boyfriend’s face. In his smile and in his eyes. Jeno mouths an I love you to him, and Mark can only watch, ceaselessly amazed at how deep their bond goes. Hyuck instantly perks up as if new life has been breathed into him, and he turns towards Mark with his head held higher.</p><p>“Mark hyung… Mark. You’re our best friend. The glue that holds us together.” Mark wants to interrupt, say that no, no. It’s the two of you. The two of you who’ve kept me and all of my pieces bound together, but Hyuck shoots him one look that makes him cast the thought aside, shooting him an incredulous look in return. “We love you the most in this whole world and Oh My God Jeno please take the wheel—” He pauses abruptly and hands Jeno the helm of the ship.</p><p>Mark almost sees the link that connects the two of them, and their shared brain-cell traveling down to the other boy, who finally speaks. That is after he scoffs at his boyfriend, teasing him wordlessly. Then he directs his attention towards Mark and lets the words out, pulling no punches while he’s at it. </p><p>“Mark hyung. Move in with us. We’d love for you to.”</p><p>Oh. </p><p><em> Oh. </em> </p><p>Mark wasn’t expecting that. </p><p>He doesn’t know what he was expecting, really, but he’s pretty sure that being asked to move in with his best friends wasn’t his first thought. </p><p>He smiles, perplexed and not fully registering what Jeno has said, just yet; because that is what it is with Jeno, isn’t it? He never shies away from baring himself to the people he loves. You get all of him, all the time, because that is what you sign up for when you let him become a part of your life. </p><p>
  <em> Fond, unconcealed affection. </em>
</p><p>“Oh, um.” Mark falters when he finally processes the question, giggling out of nervousness just a little bit, cringing at the way his voice rises in pitch by the time he finishes speaking. </p><p>“What?” He scratches the back of his ear, not really knowing what else to do with his hands that suddenly feel useless. He’s not sure how to respond to their proposition, either.</p><p>“Hey, hey, hey, hyung!” Hyuck taps him out of his thoughts, beaming, his sunshine smile making Mark’s heart sigh, all full of warmth and softness. “Take your time, you don’t have to answer us now.” </p><p>Mark sighs in relief when he hears that, but the feeling is short lived when Hyuck speaks again. “Oh, and one more thing, hyung!”</p><p>“Mhm…  What is it?”</p><p>Hyuck doesn’t reply, at least not right away. </p><p>He looks at Jeno, who looks at Mark once and then looks back at him, nodding supportively. Now, as much anxiety as surprises generally bring Mark, he doesn’t feel a lot of it in the present moment because at the end of the day, it’s his Jeno and Hyuck. They’d never hurt him. Mark watches the exchange between the boyfriends silently, and as Hyuck puppy-eyes Jeno into doing whatever he was supposed to do next.</p><p>Jeno sighs, pretending to be fed up with his boyfriend’s antics when he is so, <em> so, </em> achingly tender that you could see it in a pitch dark room. When he looks at Mark, the love in his eyes lingers. It doesn’t transform into something less, or something else, doesn’t hide behind a thin veil that it usually prefers to stay half-shielded by.</p><p>The inside of Mark’s chest feels like clouds and cotton candy.</p><p>Jeno crawls closer to him, and by the time that he’s whispering into Mark’s ear, he’s almost halfway into his lap and although they’ve been much, much closer on various other occasions, today Mark has a hard time focusing because Jeno is <em>so</em> close. He doesn’t realise when Hyuck moved closer, too, and the fact that he’s crowded on a stupid strawberry sofa by two of the best people that he has ever known in this lifetime and it’s just as surreal as it is believable.</p><p>And he knows that his answer is yes. </p><p><em> Yes. </em> </p><p>Sure, he’d like for the other two to be here too, but he has a hard time thinking about anything at all because his best friends are wrapped around him in the warmest of hugs, limbs haywire, faces in necks and hands on waists and thighs and cradling the back of someone’s head, gentle kisses pressed into skin and hair and through clothes.</p><p>Hyuck murmurs something about how happy he is and how <em> I can’t believe you said yes, hyung. I promise you that you’ll never regret this. </em></p><p>Jeno breathes slowly into Mark’s shoulder while mumbling words full of praise and reverence and <em> thank you for giving this a chance, hyungie. You’re a dream come true. </em></p><p>Mark feels full, in a way that has every atom in his body feeling like it has finally found its purpose. There’s a sleepy wave of comfort slowly making its way up from his toes up to the tips of his fingers, a diminutive zing of electricity singing in his veins, making him feel like he’s being engulfed by the sun. Only, this sun never burns him, not at all, but fills him with ardency, like a cosy sweater made out of love and light.</p><p>He wraps his arms around them tighter, tighter, tighter, as tight as he can. The stupid, smitten smile on his lips is hard to wipe away and so he doesn’t. He doesn’t know how long they hold each other for, either, for all he knows is him, Hyuck, and Jeno. His best friends, and him. </p><p>His best friends ever since any of them ever knew anything. His favourite boys that he grew up with, and would love to grow old with, too, which is something that doesn’t feel far-off and impossible anymore, considering the two things he was just offered. The things that he has just said yes to.</p><p>It’s Jaemin cooing softly that separates them from each other, because Hyuck and Jeno both pull away from him to reach out to their two other favourite boys to tug them in closer, and closer, and closer, until Mark is sitting on the couch with the latecomers by his sides, and his best friends by his feet.</p><p>He can’t help but blush because he’s not used to this.</p><p>Thinking about them in the lonely hours of the night where he has no one to hold him is different. Aching to be pressed between Jeno and Hyuck, or even to one of them because they know how he fits best, is different. The desire to slow dance with Renjun in the kitchen where they just baked so many desserts is not so much like this. Yearning to be at the receiving end of Jaemin’s smile — <em> God, that smile </em> — when he kisses his partners, grinning at their lips, still comes nowhere close to what he feels right now.</p><p>The butterflies he feels when Renjun holds his hand and Jaemin just— <em> beams </em> at him like God’s own ray of sunshine is something Mark has both felt, and yet never at all.</p><p>He can’t believe that this is finally real… that it’s tangible, and right there at the tip of his fingers to reach out and touch.</p><p>Right there, made of spring blossoms, holding his hand and staring at their linked fingers like it’s equally hard to believe for him. Right there, made of sweetness and mischief, smiling at him besottedly, eyes enamoured. Right there, made of warmth and devotion, palm on his thigh, head leaning on the shoulder of the boy next to him, happy like nothing could ever go wrong. Right there, his favourite boy made of sunshine and constellations, looking lovingly into his soul because he knows him better than he probably knows himself.</p><p>None of the boys speak for some minutes, and though Mark thinks words don’t really need to be said with how things are going, he still wants to make sure that Jaemin and Renjun know of his feelings. </p><p>He wants them to know that he wants them, too. That he wants all of them, together, or none at all. So he interlaces his fingers with Jaemin’s as well, and gives soft squeezes to both the hands joint with his, tasting his words inside his mouth before he lets those out. <em> Sweet. </em> </p><p>
  <em>Cheesy, but sweet.</em>
</p><p>“When I first met you guys…” He pauses to sigh, and ends up chuckling for no reason besides how utterly infatuated he feels. </p><p>“When I first met you, I had a feeling that all of you would stay for a long time… Haha. So… Yes. I know that I don't have to give you my answer right now, but I am because sooner or later, it doesn't matter 'cause it'd still be the same. Yes. I’m not sure of how we’re going to go about it, but all of you make me very, very happy. My answer to you, is always going to be yes.”</p><p>“Oh, Mark.” He doesn’t know who calls his name, but he feels Jaemin’s lips press a peck to the back of his fingers before he finds himself hugged from all four directions, and perhaps this is what it means to be the centre of the universe, he wonders as his synapses overflow with a colossal rush of care and adoration. Mark smiles, eyes full with tears of happiness, wondering if this is the kind of fulfilment it felt as children, to finally complete a puzzle after finding all of its missing pieces.</p><p>He closes his eyes. </p><p>At that moment, he just wants to love them. </p><p>In that moment, he just wants to be loved.</p><p> </p><p>♡</p><p> </p><p>So maybe it begins like this.</p><p>Mark is twenty-four years old and applying for his Ph.D. while living with his family of seven boys who met while at university and couldn’t help but gravitate towards each other like moths to flame.</p><p>He has four boyfriends <em> (four!) </em> and two semi-kids with them (“You guys are literally our age.” “It doesn’t matter; you guys are our parents now.” “…Fine.” “Chenle! Get back here, they finally said yes! We have five dads now!”); while a new someone by the name of Wong Xuxi has walked into their life and is probably going to stay for a long time if the way all of them have taken to each other is anything to go by.</p><p>
  <em> (Especially if the way Xuxi, Mark, and Mark’s boyfriends have taken to each other is anything to go by.) </em>
</p><p>He rarely has nightmares about his parents and the Chuseok Catastrophe (as he’s taken to calling it in his head), and he’s glad that he no longer voluntarily thinks about the people who hurt him the most. He has the best family here with all seven (eight?) of them, and he can proudly say that he’s the happiest with them than he’s been with any other person.</p><p>And yeah, life gets hard sometimes, that’s what life does, really. But they work hard and work their problems out. All of them — him, and all of his favourite boys still have a while left to be at university so they don’t have much to worry for now on that front. As for everything else? They’ll deal with it as it comes, knowing that it all will turn out well.</p><p>Knowing that they’ll do it together.</p><p>And that's the start of a good life.</p><p> </p><p>♡</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> So whenever you ask me again </em>
</p><p>
  <em> How I feel </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Please remember </em>
</p><p>
  <em> My answer is you </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>though i know that the last couple of paragraphs serve as more or less of a  definitive denouement, i'd still like to ask you to please give all of my boys the happiest ending that you can think of, thank you. ❤</p></blockquote></div></div>
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